Easiest product to start dosing?

[Jasongtr]

We are just starting to add coral so the time will soon be here to start dosing, despite it being pennies I'm not going kalkwasser as I don't really have the space in the cabinet for that, so it's going to be a different product.

I've seen tropic marin all 4 reef, are there any others to consider and why?

Tank is 70g so it's not going to get too expensive no matter what we use

We have some zoas, a bubble coral, hammer and an elegance catalaphyllia currently but are looking to add more, mostly lps I'd say.

Thanks

 

[Reef_at_Sea]

We are just starting to add coral so the time will soon be here to start dosing, despite it being pennies I'm not going kalkwasser as I don't really have the space in the cabinet for that, so it's going to be a different product.

I've seen tropic marin all 4 reef, are there any others to consider and why?

Tank is 70g so it's not going to get too expensive no matter what we use

We have some zoas, a bubble coral, hammer and an elegance catalaphyllia currently but are looking to add more, mostly lps I'd say.

Thanks

You probably don't have to start dosing untill you are getting alot more corals, your weekly water changes are gonna keep you running for quite a while i think. just keep testing your calcium & watch how it progresses everytime you add more coral.

Myself i use DSR totalreefcare wich is basically the same as all 4 reef, it's a good beginner option but as expected not really flexible.

But lets see what Randy has to say

 

[Doctorgori]

I use AFR but kalkwasser works, esp with water changes.
The thing with anything “other” than AFR is addressing salinity and trace replenishment …
I realize water changes are ole skool but if you want simplicity kalkwasser + water changes is the simplest to nail down and implement … especially at first anyway
again, disclaimer is I use AFR

 

[Jasongtr]

You probably don't have to start dosing untill you are getting alot more corals, your weekly water changes are gonna keep you running for quite a while i think. just keep testing your calcium & watch how it progresses everytime you add more coral.

Myself i use DSR totalreefcare wich is basically the same as all 4 reef, it's a good beginner option but as expected not really flexible.

But lets see what Randy has to say

Cheers, calcium is on the low side of good though at 390ppm I do have a bottle of aquavitro calcification that I might drop a bit in to boost it after a few more tests

 

[tedfisher496]

you are far from dosing. when water changes can not keep up with demands then you start dosing. I use AFR for my dosing, i maintain alk and make adjustment to calcium and magnesium as needed. don't dose anything that you are not testing for.

 

[Jasongtr]

you are far from dosing. when water changes can not keep up with demands then you start dosing. I use AFR for my dosing, i maintain alk and make adjustment to calcium and magnesium as needed. don't dose anything that you are not testing for.

Thanks, my original post did say the time will soon be here so not yet, but as previously stated calcium is at 390 so the lower acceptable level and ill continue to test to see if that needs a helping hand.

Thank you

 

[Solo McReefer]

One in your situation with your tank could easily dose fresh salt water, as in water change

And be good for a year or more, the hammer is the only thing that needs dosing

That's the easiest way

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I agree with others, you don't need to dose now. But you should be testing every day, you need to know the daily consumption.

Calcium of 390 is not bad, how much was it yesterday, and the day before, and the day before? Alkalinity is more important than calcium in my opinion, I test alk almost daily, even 15 years into the hobby, calcium I test maybe once a week. But I know from previous daily testing exercises that my alk drops much faster than my calcium.

You only mention calcium but was about alk and others? You need to know the daily consumption, and the weekly consumption, and how much will water change replenish everything? Weekly water change is usually enough to replenish elements on a new tank for a while.

When you add new corals, they don't really consume anything from your tank until they acclimate and start to grow, usually months after they are added. You should test often for this so you can track it and keep up.

You need to be an expert on your water, and so far all you mention is 390 for calcium but what about others, especially alk? Testing is more important than dosing.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

You can keep up the demand with water changes until a certain point. Then you need to start dosing.

 

[Cell]

Advice here is good, but to strictly answer the question I'd say kalkwasser is the easiest thing to dose because you can use your ATO instead of a doser if desired (suboptimal but effective). It's typically what most reefers start off with when alk/ca demands are not being met.

 

[Jasongtr]

Advice here is good, but to strictly answer the question I'd say kalkwasser is the easiest thing to dose because you can use your ATO instead of a doser if desired (suboptimal but effective). It's typically what most reefers start off with when alk/ca demands are not being met.

No sorry I'm not doing that, too variable relying on evaporation to dose

Thanks though

 

[Reef_at_Sea]

Cheers, calcium is on the low side of good though at 390ppm I do have a bottle of aquavitro calcification that I might drop a bit in to boost it after a few more tests

Try upping your calcium to 420 or so & then test after 1 or 2 days, then you have a view of your consumption.

 

[Jasongtr]

Try upping your calcium to 420 or so & then test after 1 or 2 days, then you have a view of your consumption.

Yes thats the plan, I'm testing later

 

[Pod_01]

From my experience one of the easiest products to dose is AFR. It lets you concentrate on other things like coral growth, foods, testing etc… and once you get comfortable with Alk, ca, mg and trace elements you can move to another system. With AFR you can start with the pre mixed solution so it is really easy.

As was mentioned at the start water changes should be sufficient.

Good luck and have fun,
Try not to overthink it, one can get lost with all the options and opinions…

 

[Jasongtr]

From my experience one of the easiest products to dose is AFR. It lets you concentrate on other things like coral growth, foods, testing etc… and once you get comfortable with Alk, ca, mg and trace elements you can move to another system. With AFR you can start with the pre mixed solution so it is really easy.

As was mentioned at the start water changes should be sufficient.

Good luck and have fun,
Try not to overthink it, one can get lost with all the options and opinions…

Thanks, I think when the time comes I'll use AFR, I've already got a single head doser that's currently being used to keep my phosphate above zero, but that can be daisy chained to another head when the time comes.

I know what you mean about getting lost etc, good to get confirmation too.

 

[exnisstech]

I've used kalk in ato and on a dosing pump, ESV 2 part, and AFR. For me AFR is the easiest and coral seem to respond better. Another thing I like about AFR is that alk is released slowly so I can dose it manually rather than having to use a doser so I have one less piece of tech to fail.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

From my experience one of the easiest products to dose is AFR. It lets you concentrate on other things like coral growth, foods, testing etc…

I agree. AFR is the easiest thing for starting dosing. It is perfect for once a day manual dosing. I recommend doing so based on alk levels, not calcium.

 

[Jasongtr]

I agree. AFR is the easiest thing for starting dosing. It is perfect for once a day manual dosing. I recommend doing so based on alk levels, not calcium.

Thank you

 

[smartinez198723]

Have you thought about Polyp Lab One? One supplies calcium, magnesium, and alkalinity to your reef in a simple and convenient formula. It is a fully balanced calcium system that does not require complicated reactors, multi-part system or any extra equipment.

 

[FUNGI]

My friend, who I buy my frags from, swears on TM all for 4 reef......and his frags are awesome......